A tad of Indian Spice

A young boy called Jarakeesh holds a Mickey Mouse teddy tightly to his chest, he stands outside his Hindu house, he looked nervous as four white people approach. His mum stood beside him and interpreted for us, his hand stretched forward un-concertainly to meet mine for a friendly handshake. Mickey Mouse couldn’t join in as his eyes were gone and his colour was very faded. As we wander further down the street we meet some children playing with Kites a family clearing the road, donkeys eating though piles of rubbish, little communities living under plastic sheeting working away and of course in the background is the call to prayer from the mosque and the music from the Hindu temple and the very musical sounds of the horn from every passing car, motorbike, tooktook and cow!

We went into a shopping mall, which was an expensive shop we were told, most of the clothes were designer clothes. One bargain was 7 shirts for £20!

At the moment we are just soaking up some of the Indian spice, trying some super hot food, followed by an ocean of water and potentially frequent visits to the little room with the loo!

 

Secunderabad

25/10/12

The Indian experience so far is fairly inexplicable…it’s a chaotic mish-mash of colour, goats, took took, mopeds and many many a near death experience! Everything moves so fast  and is so exciting! It’s going to be hard to go back to the safe and quiet UK. I’ve become quite attached to the beautiful chaos!

We rode a Took Took for an hour into the city to buy supplies/equipment for the children in the villages. I’m not entirely sure how to describe a Took Took…it’s a three wheeled transportation device which reminded me of a pedal car, but with a beefy motor which makes the noise of it’s name…tooktooktooktook.

 

By Melanie GardinerJoshua and Mackintosh aren't in the photo

Day in Kuala Lumpur, Malyasia, 23/10/12

A workman sits in the gutter beside the main road. Smoke engulfs his face as he puffs away at his cigarette, all you can distinguish as a faint smile as he looks across at a lost white man. They all have a grin and one even with his cement covered hand wanted a high five.

KL is made up of a mix of Chinese, Malaysian, Westerner, Indians… and so on… Its central to South Asia and its importance is growing. Temperature was in the mid-30s and humidity was around 96%, very uncomfortable. When I arrived at 5.30am the temperature was already 25%! I spent the day wandering and exploring a very interesting place was china town full of noise and bustle. Some small undercover alleyways lead to small stall selling fish, veg, food and a few barbers. This area was full of Chinese, I did not see a tourist at all. The small walk way through all the stalls was covered in water and bits of vegetables. They all looked inquisitively at me as I take a few quick snaps. I finished the day going up all 450 meters of the Petronas towers.

Finished the day completely knackered having lost so much water I probably caused a drought! As a Malaysian said to me as he awoke me from my sleep in an expensive shopping mall, ‘Where are you from… Where are you going… When are you leaving.. (his eye brows raise towards the top of the Petronas towers and he says) You haven’t got much time in our country’. So I must dash for the quiet life style of INDIA.

Farewell Stawell

Well it’s time for my wheels to leave the orange dusty gravel roads and move on. Farmer Ken and Elaine and Dawn travelled with me to the airport, Ken looked rather bewildered in the airport bit of a busy life compared to the farm. He says he has only been to down town Melbourne about four times in his life.

Recently we sailed out of Queenscliff in the bay that leads to Melbourne and were even greeted out in the bay with a pod of Dolphins. The Great Ocean road was also a great experience seeing some of the world’s most impressive rock formations including the 12 apostles, we started at Torquay and ended up at Port Fairy there we sampled what is rumored to be Australia’s best fish and chips, or Shark and Chips. It has all gone flying by other cities visited we Bendigo and Ballarat.

On the last drive 4 kangaroo went “boing” across the road in front of us, along with a lizard (that was crawling)

Said goodbye to the locals of Stawell who I had got to know and Tess the dog. And I was away.

A welcome to Stawell

We travelled out to the farm along one of the many dusty brown roads with a cloud of dust rising behind the faithful beaten up red truck. Farmer Ken with his old cap, mud weathered hands, says to me in an Australian Drawl as he hits the gas pedal in his rustic oz boots, ‘so hows it going Sam’; ‘just awesome this is the life’ I say.

The first day I got out the car near the high street, or as they call it the city Centre. Feels a bit like a ghost town as you see about 10 people as you walk down the main street, they all greet you like they have known you for years. The town of around 6,000 people started in the 1800s with the opening of a gold mine after around 150 years this mine is now due to close next year. On the first day I walked down to the train station a very large building and there were a few waiting people for what must have been the only train of the day. Time just seems to stand still. Everything is very quite the odd car passes by, for a brief time everyday the town is returned to time when the horn of the train is heard coming through and then returns to a timeless, sleepy, outback town! It is also woken up every morning with a earth shaking tremor from the daily explosion down in the gold mine.

Stawell is on the flat plain between the Grampian Mountains and the Pyrenese Ranges. Recently we climbed the Elephants hide which is a smooth, steep sided mountain and climbed to the top, it was worth it for the view. Last few weeks has the feeling of being at the zoo or wildlife park, not just because of the local people but because of the coloured parrots that wizz infront of you. Lizards crawl from rock to rock and even in the locals gardens. Last night I had a glimps of a tarantula sitting nicely on the ceiling.

One night was Kangeroo shooting out on the farm this experience is very different to any I have had before. Standing up on the back of a 4×4 as they call them a ute, with a gun and spotlight and as you drive across the paddocks scanning the hill line for any life or eyes. They look the most stupid animal jumping around the place, but they eat so much crop. There are over 100 in the hills just behind the farm, you can find them up to 7ft. So we stop the car, aim and BANG and another one hits the dust.!

Bill who is one of Kens sons was paying some bills off the other day and one was to his boss and the boss (known as reptile) reminds me of a ‘cowboy’ and ‘hippy’ shaken up inside a tin of noodles.

So in his words to you, ‘You having a ball?’ followed by ‘well gota keep rocking’ as he disappears down the road in a forklift truck with his wispy long hair wafting behind him with rapid acceleration.

 

 

 

On the move from Sydney

 

One of the conversations on the plane was with someone who lives in Sydney who had moved from England, I asked her why.. She says you have never been to Oz have you?.. you’ll find out! .

After having a day in the city and seeing the sights I guess I can see why. The edges of the coastline around the city are shining from the Blue sea Bay and the atmospheric of music and entertainers fills the air as the sun shines down on this upside down city. We started our day at Paramatta we travelled down to the centre of the city by boat along the river. As you go along the river it gets wider and wider until you arrive into darling harbour with the background of tall skyscrapers and the famous Harbour bridge, I am sure this is a very different Sydney to when my Great Great Granddad arrived in the 1870s as captain of a boat.

The last week has been very warm with temperatures ranging from 34oc to 15oc. We have seen, Bondi beach, the city sights of the opera house & Bridge, wildlife park, Darling Harbour, Newtown and the people. It is a very relaxed county and seeing the Koala bears that are sleeping, eating and chilling out just about sums up their way of living. Communing into the city by boat must be like paradise for anyone who has to catch the tube into London, you get fresh air and you get as tan as well as awesome views of the city and the sun setting at the end of the day. Compare it to London, the ‘fresh air’ is warm and generally fruity! ‘The tan’ becomes faded and the ‘awesome views’ are either the dark walls of the tunnel or someone armpit.! And the ozzys actually talk to each other!

Now just arrived in Stawell north west of Melbourne by about 3 hours.

So on that note, in an Australia accent ‘ Gooday mate, how are ya?’